Bhubaneswar: On the second day of Make in Odisha (MIO) Conclave 2018 here today, Chairman & Managing Director of Reliance Industries Limited Mukesh D Ambani recalled his father Dhirubhai Ambani’s closeness with former Odisha Chief Minister Biju Patnaik.

Ambani also admired the per annum growth of Odisha, that has been higher than the national average consistently. He congratulated Biju Patnaik’s son and current Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik for his able leadership. Odisha is fast becoming an ideal investment destination, not only in India but across the world, said Mukesh Ambani.

He also committed an investment of 3000 Cr rupees in Odisha in next three years.

Mukesh Ambani at Make in Odisha Conclave 2018

Speaking about Jio, he said that it would transform Odisha. Jio has created and sustained new employment opportunities of over 30,000 people in the last two years in Odisha, he added.

Mukesh Ambai also appreciated Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of Digital India terming it an inspiring one. Digital India will make India a leader in the digital economy globally, said Mukesh.

Today Mukesh Ambani spoke at the Make in Odisha conclave in the presence of a host of dignitaries including Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik, Japanese Ambassador to India, Kenji Hiramatsu and consul generals of several other countries, besides other leading business heads, and representatives from industry body FICCI.

Mukesh Ambani’s Complete Speech at MOC 2018

Honorable Chief Minister Shri Naveen Patnaikji,

Dignitaries on the dais,

Ladies and gentlemen,

I feel honoured today to be invited to the Make in Odisha Conclave 2018.

Before I start, I offer my respects in the sacred land of Shri Jagannath Puri, the Lord and Protector of the Universe.

Both were ahead of their times and inspired millions of Indians that nothing is impossible in India.

Today, Odisha has been growing at 8% per annum, higher than the national average consistently.

Under the Chief Minister Shri Naveen Patnaikji’s able leadership, Odisha is fast becoming an ideal investment destination, not only in India but across the world.

My warm congratulations to Shri Naveen Patnaikji and his entire State Government for all the achievements in the last few years.

Friends,

Reliance and Jio are dependable partners in your Make in Odisha mission, as well as in your Make New Odisha vision.

Today, Reliance has emerged as one of the largest investors in the State in the last few years.

Reliance has already invested over 6,000 crores in Odisha.

And today I am committing to invest an additional 3,000 crores in our new businesses in Odisha.

Our investment philosophy has a clear goal ─ to empower everyone in the march of development.

Most of our investments are in creating the digital infrastructure.

For Reliance, Jio is not just another business.

It’s a mission to transform India ─ to transform Odisha.

We have created and sustained new employment opportunities of over 30,000 people in the last two years in this State.

Dear Friends,

Our Prime Minister’s inspiring vision of Digital India is to make India a leader in the digital economy globally.

Today, India is the fastest digitizing economy in the whole world.

Jio is leading India’s digital transformation.

Since Jio commenced operations a little over two years ago, India has moved from the 155th rank in mobile broadband penetration to being the number 1 nation in mobile data consumption in the world.

We at Jio are committed to connecting everyone and everything, everywhere always with the highest quality and the most affordable price.

I have a big reason for focusing on the digital business.

The world is at the cusp of a digital revolution.

Everything in the world is going digital – music, movies, commerce, banking, cars, homes, healthcare, education – every aspect of life is going digital.

Digital technologies will completely transform every sector of the economy, and every field of life.

This will be achieved by using the most powerful tool of our times…the tools of connectivity and digital technologies.

New generation digital technologies, with Artificial Intelligence at their core, are rapidly transforming our world like never before in world history.

Our aim is to take the power of Digital Life to every nook and corner of the State, particularly in rural Odisha.

To improve the quality of education and healthcare.

To light up the lives of the people.

To provide large number of newer livelihood opportunities.

To empower and enable every citizen by connecting them to each other and the world.

Jio has connected all the cities and towns, and 43 thousand villages in this State of Odisha.

In the past eight months, several million villagers in Odisha have got affordable smartphones.

Their lives are being digitally transformed…and empowered.

For most of these villages and villagers, it is not only their pehla phone, but this phone serves as their pehla radio & music player

Their pehla TV,

And their pehla camera,

Also, their pehla introduction to the Internet and artificial intelligence in their lives.

And all this at an affordable 100 rupees per month.

This combination of connectivity with affordability is unparalleled in the world.

I am glad to report that the per capita data consumption in the State of Odisha is amongst the highest in the country.

People are using advanced digital connectivity for education, financial services, entertainment and much more.

We are working with the Odisha Government on an initiative to integrate several lakh women in the digital mainstream under the “Mission Shakti” Scheme.

Just like we have done in other parts of the country.

Friends,

We are taking another step to propel Odisha further into the digital future.

With JioGigaFiber, we have now begun an ambitious push in the fixed broadband through Fiber-to-the-home and Fiber-to-the-premises.

Our aim and resolve is to ensure that India rises from the present 135th rank to be among the top three nations in fixed broadband in the next three years.

Together with all of you, we are committed to making Odisha among the most developed digitally in India and the world.

Friends,

Reliance is working on creating the world’s largest online-to-offline New Commerce Platform.

We are working on transforming the lives and businesses of 3 crore merchants and small shopkeepers in the country.

We will enable them to do everything that large enterprises and large ecommerce players are able to do.

I can assure you that Reliance and Jio will considerably improve the Ease of Living of each and every citizen of India, and also improve the Ease of Doing Business for Odisha’s small and medium enterprises.

This will create millions of new and attractive opportunities for the talented youth of Odisha …in their own State.

Honourable Chief Minister,

I am delighted to know that in your vision of making a New Odisha, you have a dream of making Odisha a great Sports Power.

We are partnering with the State Government to set up the “Reliance Foundation – Odisha High Performance Athletics Centre”.

This Centre will train local talent under world renowned experts to develop them into Olympic Medal winners of tomorrow.

Friends,

In conclusion, permit me to quote from an inspiring speech by Shri Biju Patnaik.

“In my dream of the 21st century for the state. I would have young men and women who have pride in themselves and confidence in themselves… By their brain, intelligence and capacity, they will recapture the glory of Kalinga.”

This was Biju Patnaik’s dream and even today this should be your dream and our dream, which the Chief Minister is carrying on.

We shall together make Odisha once again the most globalised regions of India…as it was in the past when it had established and made cultural links with South-East Asia.

We shall together build new wonders in Odisha, which will match the wondrous Sun Temple of Konark in the coming decades.